blockchain

ICOs banked $13B with ‘little work, accountability, or transparency,’ report To date, Ethereum‘s process of initial coin offerings (ICOs) has earned token founders an estimated combined profit of $12.8 billion, made entirely of digital assets they created out of thin-air. The research arm of BitMEX has tracked the $24 billion worth of …

Oil behemoths join Shell and friends on energy trading blockchain The centuries-old, paper-based trading process of the oil and gas industry was overhauled last year, courtesy of the blockchain and an industry consortium originally including Shell, BP, ABN Amro, ING, and Societe Generale. The industry platform, called VAKT, announced yesterday …

Ford drives cobalt supply chain transparency with IBM blockchain Ford has become the latest company to jump on the blockchain pilot bandwagon. The American car manufacturing giant is conducting a blockchain trial in a bid to trace cobalt, found in the lithium-ion batteries used by electric cars, from a Chinese-owned …

An introduction to Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining pools Welcome to Hard Fork Basics, a collection of tips, tricks, guides, and advice to keep you up to date in the cryptocurrency and blockchain world. When Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin whitepaper, the concept of mining was pretty simple. Due to the …

Anonymous Bitcoin miners are taking over the network The world’s most popular cryptocurrency is a now a little bit more decentralized, thanks to the waning influence of Bitmain and the return of the anonymous Bitcoin BTC miner. Blockchain research unit Diar has published new data revealing exactly who has been …

Israel shipping giant opens its blockchain after successful trial Israel‘s largest shipping firm is opening up its blockchain to all of its clients of specific trades following a successful trial. Shipping firm Zim took the decision to roll out its blockchain for electronic bills of lading (eBLs) following a successful …

Long-serving cryptocurrency exchange forced offline, hackers blamed One of the internet’s longest serving digital asset exchanges, Cryptopia, claims to have suffered a debilitating hack. After a full day of unscheduled maintenance outages, the NZ-based cryptocurrency exchange posted an official statement, explaining it had suffered “a security breach which resulted in significant …

How Spain’s Iberdrola is using blockchain tech to push renewable energy Iberdrola, one of Spain’s main energy companies, has completed a blockchain pilot to track renewable energy more accurately than it ever could before – resulting in losses being slashed in half. The trial was carried out in cooperation with …

Bittrex launches peer-to-peer trading service for high rollers The United States-based cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex has just launched an over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk which will see cryptocurrency traders deal directly, rather than through an exchange. The trading desk will support just under 200 cryptocurrencies, and will guarantee pricing for trades over …